In 2008, the number of WFM seats/agents grew by a healthy 7.4 percent, from 3.5 million agent/seats in 2007 to 3.7 in 2008. Although growth was universal among all vendors covered, the most rapid growth rates were realized among the smaller vendors and those with stand-alone solutions. DMG forecasts WFM sales to increase by 6 percent in 2009, 7 percent in 2010 and 9 percent in 2011, the first full year of economic recovery.

Growth in the WFM market is being fueled by customer-driven innovation and the evolution of WFM solutions to meet the changing needs of contact centers. Vendors are developing and enhancing their solutions to address the needs of complex multi-site, multi-channel (phone, e-mail, IM/chat, fax, mail, etc.) and multi-skill contact center environments. They are also introducing WFM modules that deliver enterprise-wide efficiencies for non-contact-center uses (back-office, retail, branches, etc.).

“The requirement to provide a better customer experience while improving productivity and controlling costs is paramount in contact centers during the recession,” said Donna Fluss, president of DMG Consulting. “Workforce management continues to be one of the most important contact-center productivity tools. By optimizing the use of the new generation of WFM solutions, contact centers can reduce staff related costs by 10-20 percent, enabling them to come through the recession with minimum impact on service levels and the customer experience.”

The 2009 report includes new sections on management and agent best practices, as well as a section dedicated to long-term strategic planning, an area of growing importance to contact-center managers and enterprise executives. The report also gives advice on how to use WFM to help address challenges presented by the recession and to strategically plan for business recovery in 2011.